# Martha Shaughnessy

> Martha Shaughnessy is the San Francisco-based founder and CEO of The Key PR, launched publicly in 2017 after leadership roles at Atomic PR and Grayling. Her communications work spans technology companies and civic organizations, and she helped lead communications for Women’s March San Francisco. Her approach draws on cultural anthropology, team sports and deliberate agency design.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at The Key PR
- **Organizations:** The Key PR, Atomic PR, Grayling, Women’s March San Francisco, St. Ignatius College Preparatory, California Poets in the Schools
- **Education:** Cornell University, St. Ignatius College Preparatory
- **Known for:** PR Daily and Ragan Top Women in Communications honoree, Dynamic Do-er category, announced January 2025., Founded The Key PR, which placed No. 51 on the San Francisco Business Times’ 2021 fastest-growing private companies list., The Key announced a third consecutive Inc. Power Partner recognition in October 2026.

## Career timeline

- **1997-2000** — Listed as a goalkeeper on Cornell women’s soccer rosters.
- **2007** — Worked on communications for Mint ahead of its TechCrunch40 launch.
- **2013** — Promoted to SVP/managing director in San Francisco at Atomic PR.
- **2016** — Began building the agency that became The Key and took on communications work for Women’s March San Francisco.
- **2017** — Publicly launched The Key on October 23 after an initial operating period.
- **2020** — Published the development process behind the Key Agreements.
- **2021** — The Key ranked No. 51 on the San Francisco Business Times’ fastest-growing private companies list.
- **2025** — The Key announced her PR Daily Top Women in Communications honor in the Dynamic Do-er category; she became alumni board president at St. Ignatius.
- **2026** — Discussed AI and startup culture on The CoCreators and wrote about parallels between energy and early fintech communications.

## Achievements

- PR Daily and Ragan Top Women in Communications honoree, Dynamic Do-er category, announced January 2025.
- Founded The Key PR, which placed No. 51 on the San Francisco Business Times’ 2021 fastest-growing private companies list.
- The Key announced a third consecutive Inc. Power Partner recognition in October 2026.
- The Key was recognized in The PR Net’s 2024 and 2025 Next Gen programs.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — The Key announced its third consecutive Inc. Power Partner recognition on October 20.
- **2026-09** — Published “Energy Is Mirroring Early Fintech” on September 21, discussing Mint and The Key’s energy-sector work.
- **2026-08** — The Key announced Jodi Maroney’s arrival as principal on August 10.
- **2026-02** — Appeared on The CoCreators’ AI workplace and culture series, published February 5.

## Links

- Website: https://www.thekeypr.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marthashaughnessy
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/SFShag
- Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/marthashag.bsky.social

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/martha-shaughnessy
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-25